Resveratrol Linked to Positive Impact on Pre-diabetes

July 1, 2010

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have linked resveratrol, a chemical compound found in red wine, to improved health of patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), also known as “pre-diabetes.”

The results of the small pilot study presented at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) earlier this month showed promise. Among 10 patients with IGT given resveratrol supplements at concentrations higher than those normally found in wine, grapes or peanuts, all demonstrated lower post-meal glucose levels and improved insulin sensitivity - an encouraging outcome with potential implications for those with type 2 diabetes or at high risk for the condition. The study was led by Jill Crandall, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine and director of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit at Einstein.

“The results of this pilot study are preliminary and need to be confirmed in larger numbers of patients,” said Dr. Crandall. “However, we are encouraged by these findings and plan to conduct additional studies to further explore the potential utility of resveratrol in improving glucose metabolism."

Also presented at the meeting was a related study by Meredith Hawkins, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Global Diabetes Initiative at Einstein. She reported on the effect of resveratrol in overweight, middle-aged subjects who were insulin resistant. Using a highly sensitive measurement technique, Dr. Hawkins detected a 40 percent increase in insulin sensitivity, as well as improvements in mitochondrial function. An unrelated, non-Einstein resveratrol study presented at the ADA meeting showed the substance may prevent harmful blood vessel growth in the retina of mice.

Even relatively low doses of resveratrol—a chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine—can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a report in the October issue of Cell Metabolism. ...

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs to treat diseases of aging, announced today that findings in the journal Nature demonstrate that Sirtris ...

Research carried out by scientists at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England has found that resveratrol, a compound present naturally in grape skin, can protect against the cellular damage to blood vessels ...

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, was led by Jill P. Crandall, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine and director of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit at Einstein.

A naturally produced molecule called resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, has been shown to lower insulin levels in mice when injected directly into the brain, even when the animals ate a high-fat diet.

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